Lawn-weeder.



Patented June l9, i900,

A. BURSON.

LAWN WEEDER.

(Application filed Nov. 17, 1899.)

I lvvl ma norms PETEVIS coy, Pno'rou-ma, wAsHmcTou. o. c.

UNITED STATES ATENT Omaha.

AMOS BURSON, OF NEGLEY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY M. THOMPSON,SAMUEL GAMBLE, AND WILLIAM M. IIARBISON, OF CAR- NEGIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

LAWN-WEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,077, dated June 19,1900.

Application filed November 17,1899. Serial No. 737,294. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AMOS BURSON, a resident of Negley, in the county ofOolumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Lawn \Veeders and Transplanters; and I do hereby declare the Figure 1is a side elevation of my inven-i tion, showing the same in its normalposition. Fig. 2 is a like view, partly in section, showing the jawsclosed and the operating parts connected therewith in position tocorrespond thereto. tion of the same with the parts in position as shownin Fig. 2; and Fig. at is a detail crosssection on the line 4: 4:, Fig.2; and Figs. 5 and 6 are views of another form of my invention.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures ofthe drawings.

As illustrated in the drawings, 1 represents a tubular body portion,which has fitted to slide freely on its upper end the handle 2, which ismade in the form of a spade-handle and engages with said body portion bya sleeve 2, formed thereon, which sleeve fits the body portion 1, asaforesaid. A pin 3 passes through said sleeve and also through slots 3,formed in the body portion 1, which slots permit the desired amount oflongitudinal movement of pin 3 therein and with it the handle 2 insleeve 2, on which said pin 3 is tightly fitted. The upper end of bodyportion 1 is also provided with anotherhandle 4:, similar in form tohandle 2, but smaller, so as to work within handle 2, and is rigidlysecured to body portion 1 in any suitable manner, the manner shown beinga pin 4: passing through the shell of the tube forming body portion ofhandle 4 fitted therein.

Fig. 3 is a transverse central sec- Fitting and working freely Withinthe body portion 1 is a rod 5, which is rigidly secured to handle 2 bypin 3, before mentioned, and is capable of np-and'down movement withinbody part 1. A pair of grappling or gripping jaws 6 are pivoted at 6 toa head 1, formed on the lower end of the bodyportion I. Said jaws 6 areformed spoon-shaped at their lower or engaging ends, and each jaw isprovided at its upper end witha guide 7, which its or works closelyadjacent to one side of the body portion 1. Pivoted at 8 around pins 8on each one of the jaws 6, at or near their upper ends, are the strapsor links 9 9, which extend over on each side of the body portion 1 andare pivoted at 10 to a pin 10,which passes through slots 11, formed inthe body portion 1 and through the lower end of the rod 5, thus forminga toggle-joint connection between said rod 5 and jaws 6, the parts beingplaced in such relation that the down ward movement of rod 5 in relationto the tubular portion of body part 1 will force the straps or linksforming the toggle into a more obtuse angle with each other, and soforce the upper ends of jaws 6 farther apart and their lower or grippingends closer together. It will be seen that force applied to handle 2against resistance encountered by the jaws 6 will force rod 5 downwardrelatively to the tubular portion of the body part 1, and so closethejaws, and

also that the same result will be accomplished by gripping both handles2 and 4 and forcing their straight or upper parts together. The jaws 6are opened, as shown in Fig. 1, when the closing force is removed bymeans of spring 16, surrounding the body part 1 and abutting at itslower end upon a collar, pin, or other stop 13, rigidly attached to thebody part 1, and at its upper end against the projecting ends of a pin14, secured within the rod 5, said pin extending through slots 15,formed in each side of the body portion 1. The spring 16 being undercompression, its resiliency tends to elongate it, thus forcing pin 14and rod 5 upward relatively to tubular body 1 and by reversing theclosing process, already described, opening jaws 6.

The operation and useof my invention are as follows: The implement inits normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, is placed with its jaws 6 oneon each side of the weed or plant to be extracted, when it is forcedinto the ground by means of pressure applied to one of the handles 2 or4. If a useless weed is to be extracted, the pressure is applied tohandle 2, which pressure, as has been explained in the foregoingspecification, tends to close jaws 6 while they are entering the groundand will do so as far as the rootand soil between them will permit. Ifitis desired to accelerate such closing movement of jaws 6, the handles 2and 4 may be gripped together with more or less force while the jaws 6are being forced into the ground, and when they have penetrated asdeeply as desired the handles are more firmly gripped, when theimplement, and with it the weed, may be withdrawn. In the case of largeweeds with long roots it may be desirable to give the implement one ormore twisting or rotative movements to loosen or cut off the deeperportion of the root. Relaxing grip on handles 2 and 4 releases whateveris grasped. When a valuable plant is to be extracted for replanting, theimplement is forced into the ground by pressure applied to the innerhandle 4 only, the ball of the thumb being readily available for thepurpose. Pressure so applied, as has been heretofore explained, havingno tendency to close the jaws more soil will be taken up with the root,which not only favors its subsequent nourishment, but protects it frominjury during extraction. The replanting may be done by forcing theimplementinto the ground with the plant still in its grasp, the groundbeing in proper condition to favor the operation. The grip on thehandles is then relaxed and the implement withdrawn, leaving the plantin the ground.

It is obvious that the outer handle 2 could be fixed rigidly to the tubeof the body portion and the inner handle 4 to the rod 5, in which casethe rod and toggles pivoted to it would be pulled upward to close thejaws instead of being pushed downward, as is above shown and described,and such an implement would be operative for the purpose, except thatthe pressure required to force the jaws into the ground would not tendto close them wherever it might be applied; but their closure would beeffected entirely by the grip of the hand on the handles.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown another form of my invention, in which thetubular body portion 1 is done away with, and in its place two rods areused, while the other parts and operations remain the same, exceptingthe spiral spring 16 is placed around the rod 5 and between the two rodsabove mentioned.

It is also obvious that various other modifications and changes in theconstruction and design of the various parts of the device may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention orsacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

' 1. In an implement of the character described, the combination of abody portion havinga handle thereon, a rod fitting within the bodyportion and provided with a, handle thereon, grippin g-jaws connected tosaid body portion and rod, and mechanism connected to said body portion,rod and gripping-jaws for closing said jaws by the gripping together ofsaid handles.

2. In an implement of the character described, the combination of a bodyportion having a handle thereon, a rod fitting within said body portionand provided with a handle thereon, gripping-jaws pivotally connected tosaid body portion and connected to said rod by toggle-joints, andmechanism connected to said body portion, rod and gripping; jaws forclosing said jaws by the forcing together of said handles.

3. In an implement of the character described, the combination of a bodyportion having a handle secured thereon, a rod ,fitting within said bodyportion having a pin secured thereto and passing through slots in thebody portion, a handle having a slidable connection on said body portionand secured to the pin on the rod,- gripping-jaws pivoted to said bodyportion and connected to said rod by toggle-joints, mechanism connectedto said body portion rod and gripping-jaws for closing said jaws by theforcing together of said handles, and mechanism for automaticallyopening said gripping-jaws when the pressure on the handles is released.

4. The combination of a body portion having a handle thereon, a rodfitting within said body portion and provided with a handle thereon,gripping-jaws pivotally connected to said body portion and connected tosaid rod by toggle-joints, slots within said body portion, and a pinsecured to said rod, and rod-handle, and adapted to move within theslots in the body portion.

5. The combination of a body portion having a handle thereon, a rodfitting within said body portion and provided with a handle thereon,gripping-jaws pivotally connected to said body portion and connected tosaid rod by toggle-joints, slots within said body portion, a pin securedto said rod and rod-handle and adapted to move within the slots in thebody portion, a pin secured to said rod and adapted to pass throughopenings in said body portion, and-a spring interposed between saidlast-named pin and a stop on the body portion.

In testimony whereof I, the said AMOS BUR- SON, have hereunto set myhand.

AMOS BURSON.

Witnesses:

J. N. Comm, J. L. TREFALLER.

